The Writing Life

#34 How to find inspiration in tragedy with Sharlene Teo

This week we have a conversation with Sharlene Teo, debut author of Ponti. It's described as "an exquisite story of friendship and memory spanning decades, at once an astounding portrayal of the gaping loneliness of teenagehood, and a vivid exploration of how tragedy can make monsters of us." Sharlene was in town for UEA Live and spoke to Florence Reynolds about the origins of the book and her sources of inspiration. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#33 How to write video games with 80 Days' Jon Ingold

Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios, joins us on the podcast today. The studio has produced award-winning adventures for mobile and PC, including the Sorcery series and 80 Days, and they're only weeks away from releasing their latest project, Heaven's Vault. Jon somehow found the time to talk to us about his career, the founding of Inkle and the creation of their games, as well as diving into the nuts and bolts of what it means to write interactive, branching fiction and dialogue. There's incredible insight here from one of the most experienced writers in gaming, and if you're interested in games writing this is a must-listen. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Inkle Studios: https://www.inklestudios.com/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#32 How to write collaboratively with Nicci French

This week we have an interview with the entity that is Nicci French, comprised of wife-and-husband team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. They discuss their Frieda Klein books and how they write collaboratively. Asking the questions is Chris Rushby, the much-loved and recently retired bookseller from the classic department store Jarrolds, here in Norwich. This interview is from the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival in 2018 and provides a superb insight into how two very different writing techniques combine to form singular novels. Noirwich will of course be back this year, so make sure you get the dates of 12- 15 September into your diary. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#31 Alan Moore And John Dee

This week we're visiting the archives to pull out an amazing recording of comics writer Alan Moore. This is from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival way back in 2013, when audiences were treated to a rare glimpse of an unreleased Moore project. It was to be an opera about the alchemist John Dee, but the show never reached the stage in this form. Instead, here we have Alan reading a tantalising extract. Alan Moore has an astonishing back catalogue of work, ranging from Marvel and DC work to the genre-redefining 1980s masterpieces Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He's exerted a huge influence on the comics form and wider culture, and what follows is a remarkable glimpse of a project that was not to be... Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Norfolk & Norwich Festival: https://nnfestival.org.uk/ Events: Dragon Hall Salon: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/dragon-hall-salon-3/ All upcoming events: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on Photo of Alan Moore by Matt Bidulph: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alan_Moore_at_the_ICA_on_June_2nd_2009.jpg Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#30 How to be a productive writer with Tim Clare

You'll be hard-pressed to find someone who is more passionate and driven about writing than Tim Clare. We talk about Tim's Weekly Writing Workout newsletter, his Couch to 80k Writing Bootcamp as well as his novels The Honours and forthcoming The Ice House. Plus, of course, we discuss the word count required for reaching the optimum point of neuroplasticity, what Tim learned while talking to the Institute for Procrastination Research and how the same part of your brain is used for processing fiction and reality. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Tim talks to the Institute for Procrastination Research: http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk/death-of-1000-cuts-season-2-episode-37-chatting-with-tim-pychyl/ Couch to 80k Bootcamp: http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk/couchto80kwritingbootcamp/ Weekly Writing Workout: http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk/tim-clares-weekly-writing-workout/ Events: Agent Insight with Eve White: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/agent-insights-with-eve-white/ Dragon Hall Salon: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/dragon-hall-salon-3/ All upcoming events: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#29 Constructing a book series with Roz Watins

We talk to Roz Watkins about techniques for constructing a book series, how to develop a lead detective characters over multiple novels, and how plans can change from book-to-book. Interview by Elspeth Latimer, made possible by CHASE (Consortium of the Humanities and Arts South-East England). Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk Roz's blog piece; https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/on-the-edge-of-knowledge/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#28 Inventing new digital forms with Tom Abba

This week we catch up with Tom Abba, one of the minds behind storytelling innovation lab Ambient Literature. Tom has been exploring how digital technology can influence storytelling and in this episode we dive into his experiments and how they intersect with literature, gaming and immersive theatre. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Ambient Literature: http://ambientlit.com Tom on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomabba Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#27 Death In Paradise creator Robert Thorogood

Season 8 of the massive BBC television crime drama Death in Paradise starts this week. Robert Thorogood was here at Dragon Hall last year for the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival, and today's episode is a recording of the conversation he had with Nina Nannar, Arts Editor for ITV News. Robert talks about everything from getting his unlikely break into prime time TV, why he set the show in the Caribbean and how Death in Paradise has impacted representation on British screens. **Do note that there are some spoilers in here for earlier seasons of the show** Links: Creating Writing Online: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/online-courses/

#26 The Importance of Arts Funding with Tamsin Flower

Today we're chatting with Tamsin Flower about arts funding - what it is, why it's important and how to get it. Her latest project, a cross-form video-poetry cycle called The Lives of F, was made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Tamsin's website: http://tamsinflower.co.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/

#25 Finishing Your First Book with Amer Anwar

We're chatting with Amer Anwar, debut writer of the crime novel Brothers in Blood. Amer was in town earlier in the year for the Noirwich Crime Writing Festival and we talked to him about the creation and publishing of his first book. Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing Manager at the National Centre for Writing. Find out more about the National Centre for Writing: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Links: Online Writing Courses: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/online-courses/ Noirwich: https://noirwich.co.uk Music by Bennet Maples: https://sonicfruit.co.uk/